Ajax without star players for showdown

Ajax Cape Town two-goal heroes Nathan Paulse and Mkanyiseli Siwahla will miss Wednesday's crucial Absa Premiership match against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria.

They were clinical in the Cape side's 5-1 demolition of Mount Cameroon in Saturday's first leg of a Caf Cup second-round tie at Athlone Stadium, but are ineligible for the league outing due to one-match bans for having accumulated three successive yellow cards.

Russell Mwafulirwa, the man set to step into Paulse's big boots for the Sundowns match, got the other goal against the shell-shocked visitors.

While rejoicing at the avalanche of goals, Ajax coach Craig Rosslee was quick to point out how difficult the second leg in two weeks' time was likely to be.

"Believe me, this team is not as bad as the scoreline might suggest," he said on Sunday.

"They actually surprised us by running at us from the start, because we thought they would sit back and try to catch us on the counter, or even play for a draw. But (Nathan) scored a cracker of a goal in the opening minutes and we were set for a positive result.

"It's going to be tough over there. We are under no illusions about what to expect in the line of transport and accommodation. Things are going to go wrong (off the pitch) on this trip, so we will be challenged to remain focused on getting the job done on the pitch."

The continental competition has afforded Rosslee the luxury of introducing fringe players to the hurly burly of the top flight away from the highly pressurised league campaign now in its final lap.

Other key members of the Ajax squad like Clifford Ngobeni, Nazier Allie and Bryce Moon have used the cup run to get back into shape following niggling injuries.

"That's been a real bonus, because I can now pick from a bigger pool of fit players to do battle (with Sundowns)."

Experienced campaigners Dipsey Selolwane and Sifiso Vilakazi are also in line for a recall to the starting line-up.

"Sundowns favour attacking football, so perhaps we could take them on with more flair players than usual. We might have to attack them before they get their own passing game going."

Also on Saturday, Santos dropped two vital points in their quest for the league championship with a 1-1 draw with Kaizer Chiefs in Durban.

Playing with their now-customary packed defence, the People's Team opened the scoring in typical fashion when Eleazar Rodgers raced on to a long ball to set up Tawonga Chimodze for a super finish past Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.

But sitting back to protect a lead again proved the downfall of David Bright's charges, who surrendered via a soft goal from Mokete Tsotsetsi.

Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral opted for an expansive game. His side completely dominated possession, but found the crowded Santos defensive zone a bridge too far.

"I can't believe this team is challenging for the league (title)," said an irate Ertugral of the defence-minded Santos. "We played our normal passing game, but they just sat back with so many players, which obviously made it difficult to penetrate.

"It's okay to grind out results like that, but can you win the championship with such play? I'm not sure about that."

Santos have a chance to add a dash more entertainment on Wednesday when they host second-placed SuperSport United at Athlone.

Bright certainly has enough natural talent at his disposal, but the Botswana-born mentor is not one for placing pretty football ahead of raking in the points on offer.

It's the home straight now, so only winning, especially at home, is going to keep alive their chances of what would be a remarkable championship success.